CLA President Henry Aubrey-Fletcher said: ‘This statement just could not be more wrong. If councils have fly-tipping under control it is because the problems are being pushed somewhere else, this would explain why farmers and landowners are seeing a continual rise in fly-tipping on private land.

‘We feel a dismissive statement like this does nothing but severely underestimate the issue as the causes of the problem are not being addressed.’

The CLA launched a campaign against fly-tipping at the CLA Game Fair in July, and has rejected Defra’s apparent claims that fly-tipping and graffiti are under control.